Mail Call!

Alas! It just occurred to me that I haven't posted my mailing address on here!

Ginny Sanborn
PO Box 3271
Matieland
Stellenbosch
7602
South Africa

Now go forth and write me letters!

-G

Who Run the World? Backwoods Bitches.

This past weekend, we AIFS kids went on an excursion to the Cederberg Mountains. They are about 4 hours away from Stellenbosch and absolutely beautiful. We were under the impression that we were going to be camping, but we turned out to be living better in the mountains than we do back in Academia (my dorm)! We stayed in several very nice mountain cabins complete with a big ole braai pit out front. The first night, Hestea (our resident advisor and temporary mama) made us some sausages complete with her special secret sauce. We then rested up for the big day ahead of us. We got up bright and early to head over to the trail that leads to the top of the mountain.

The first half of the climb was about 2 hours and brutal, mainly due to the fact that we were in direct sunlight almost the whole time. The second part, however, was absolutely fantastic. It was nice and shady and instead of basically just walking uphill, we were climbing over big boulders. I felt like Indiana Jones. Not sure why, but I did. Once we made it to the top, we had the most bitchin’ view ever. Mama H told us that we were over a kilometer above where we started from. What an accomplishment, especially for someone like me who has no muscle whatsoever. We stayed at the top for about and hour and a half, and then made our way back down.

After our hike, we changed into our swimsuits, grabbed some beers and headed down to the little river next to our cabins for a swim. The river was the perfect temperature and the water felt amazing on our skin and muscles. Mama H also told us that the water in that river was cleaner than our Stellenbosch tap! So we took a couple gulps. We did a little bit of chicken fighting and played a few rounds of sharks and minnows and then called it a day. Swimming in that river has been one of my favorite parts of the past month. The fact that I was wading in a fairly remote African river with some of the best people I know overwhelmed me. I couldn’t get enough. I can only hope that I have similar experiences in the Kalahari and on the Garden Route, but I’m gonna go ahead and say that I probably will.

Ginny

Barf City, Barf Barf City, Bitch!

So, as many of you know, I have been very excited about going shark cage diving for a while now. Sure, I was a little anxious, but whatever! I’m in South Africa! The day finally arrived. I woke up at the crack of dawn (5:30), ate a bland breakfast and tossed two Dramamines down the hatch. The 2 hour drive to the spot was painless, and I was hopeful that the boat ride would be as well. But because I’m Ginny Sanborn, it wasn’t. Not even 20 minutes in, I start getting seasick. Very very seasick. So I did not shark cage dive that weekend. I spent however many hours curled up in a corner of the boat with my little baggies. Luckily, I have been blessed with friends who have strong stomachs who sat with me the entire time.

            I should also mention that before I got sick, I saw 2 insanely massive great white sharks. And on the way back to shore, we saw about 50 little seal pups! So even though I had the most inconvenient ab workout ever, I did get to see some lil’ critters.

            On that note, should you feel the urge to send me a care package (which you should), Dramamine is always needed!

            Until next time,

7 bag Ginny

"We are so cosmopolitain, y'all!"

          One of mine, Corie’s and Sam’s favorite things to do in Stellenbosch is explore. Usually it involves us trying to get somewhere specific and end up getting lost. But we’re not complaining! We have found some of the most amazing little cafes and shops. One of our favorite finds is a tiny bakery called ‘Dipped.’ We went there one afternoon for what we call ‘tea time.’ The waitress simply would not allow us to order cokes. She insisted we try their homemade teas. So we did. And they were delicious. We’ve also found some great little African markets. They are obviously geared toward tourists, but hey! That’s what we are!  I managed to snag a couple gifties for y’all while I was there.

            I almost forgot! Classes started last week! Interesting thing to forget considering those classes are the reason I’m here right now. My classes are absolutely fantastic. I’m taking all Political Science classes except for one, which is focused on HIV & AIDS in South Africa. The others are centered around peace and conflict studies, which is right up my alley. My classes are with only other international students, and they all seem like great people. I’m also in love with my professors. They seem like they’re very excited about working with international students. In addition to my classes, I also volunteer once a week at the local primary school in the nearby Kayamandi township. I work with pre-school age kiddos and I adore them. They speak very limited English, as their native language is isiXhosa (the language with the clicks). They love animals and they love to dance. Pictures should be coming soon.

G-$

All he cares about are penguins and 'boons. 'Boons and penguins.

Ok, I realize it’s been a long time since my last post, but that just means that this one is going to be even better! Maybe.

So, 2 weekends ago we took a lil’ day trip to Boulders Beach and Cape Point. Those of you who talked to me at all before I left know how excited I was to go to Boulder’s Beach (that’s where the penguins are!). It did not disappoint. The penguins swam right up next to you and were not phased at all by hoards of excited people posing with them for endless pictures. They were also not very shy about using the restroom wherever they well pleased. After making some penguin friends, it was on to lunch, and off to Cape Point!

To be honest, I’m really sure what exactly Cape Point was. My friend Sam thinks it might be a peninsula? We don’t really know. All we know is that it was absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, this was when my camera died. But I’ll steal some pics from Sam. Just for you. We walked to the top of a mountain and were able to get some incredible views of the Atlantic Ocean. But the crazy views were not really Cape Point’s most defining characteristic. That, my friends, would the baboons. They have a lot of baboons. If you’re like me, when you think of baboons, you think of Rafiki, the kind and wise baboon from The Lion King. Not so. They are scary little imps. Little imps that steal your food. Seriously. But they were good sports when it came to taking pictures with them. If anything good came out of my ‘boon interactions, it was that I now know that I can make a mean baboon face. When I say mean, I mean both ‘really good,’ and actually ‘mean.’ Directions: Place palm on forehead. Push down.

That’s all for now. Come back in 5 minutes to see what the rest of my blog-a-thon results in.

Ginny

The Lekker Life

Since school hasn’t started and we haven’t gone on many excursions, I don’t have a lot of stories to tell. I do however, have some fun facts for you. In the words of Marcel the Shell, READ ON!

1.     Shoes? Who needs ‘em?? The phrase ‘no shoes, no service’ means nothing here! In Stellenbosch it’s more like ‘no shoes, no problem!’

2.     Such beautiful people, such an ugly haircut. Not only does the mullet still exist here, it’s fairly popular, even with people our age! We see multiple mullets each day.

3.     Remember those graphic tees with the sassy phrases that everyone wore in the early 2000’s? They are alive and kickin’ in South Africa!  Although it’s only the men that seem to wear them here….

4.     Upon finding out I was coming to South Africa and actually coming here I listened to Paradise and Waka Waka almost everyday, thinking no one in South Africa would want to listen to those songs (since they are about SA). FALSE. We hear these songs at least twice a day. Although no one seems to listen to Africa, by Toto…not yet, at least.

5.     It can be 65 degrees and there be nothing but clouds in the sky, and you can still get a third degree sunburn. Or at least one that certainly feels like it.

6.     “Let’s go to a lekker joll tonight, keen?” We hear this quite often. In fact, we have started saying also. So, don’t be surprised if I ask y’all the same question when I get back. Translation: “Let’s go to a super-duper-cool-awesome party tonight, sound good?”

7.     Coca-Cola Light > Diet Coke

And now, some fun facts about my roomie Corie, and why we are made for each other.

1.     We fell in love via our Pinterest pages. Need I say more?

2.     She is a theatre minor, too!

3.     She loves Diet Coke, ahem, COKE LIGHT, almost as much as I do.

4.     Give us a bottle of white wine, and we’ll knock that bad boy out in 20 minutes. Just the 2 of us.

5.     She speaks in a weird voice and/or a British accent more than she does her regular voice.

That’s all for now! Pictures are coming, I promise! Now go out and have a lekker joll!

- G Dawg